The present invention relates to therapeutic and prophylactic devices, and more particularly to sleeves for applying compressive pressures against a patient's limb.
It is known that the velocity of blood flow in a patient's extremities, particularly the legs, markedly decreases during confinement of the patient. Such pooling or stasis of blood is particularly pronounced during surgery, immediately after surgery, and when the patient has been confined to bed for extended periods of time. It is also known that stasis of blood is a significant cause leading to the formation of thrombi in the patient's extremities, which may have a severe deleterious effect on the patient, including death. Additionally, in certain patients it is desirable to move fluid out of interstitial spaces in extremity tissues, in order to reduce swelling associated with edema in the extremities.
Devices have been proposed for use in increasing the velocity of blood flow through the patient's limbs and minimizing edema, such as the devices disclosed in applicant's copending applications Ser. Nos. 625,990 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,069 and 626,018 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,488, filed Oct. 28, 1975, and incorporated herein by reference. These devices comprise a compression sleeve and a controller for sequentially inflating and deflating pressure chambers in the sleeve. It is desirable that such sleeves may be adjusted to the size of a particular patient in order to permit use of the sleeve on patients of varying leg sizes. Additionally, the sleeves may tightly enclose the patient's limb, and it is desirable to increase ventilation of the patient's limb beneath the sleeve.